An experienced prey helps a someone through their hunger by offering themselves up as a first meal, and guides the new pred through the experience (continuation of this post)
Content: prey pov, pred pov (alternating), digestion, implied fatal vore, pred has a panic attack
“You’re really hungry, are you?”
A nodded
“It’s the kind of hunger that never goes away right? No matter what you do, you’re still hungry. You know what this means right?
You’re a predator, you have different requirements. Dietary”
A shook their head, “no, no I can’t. I’m not like that.”
“What do you mean you can't?”
“I’ve never done it before, and I don’t want to”
“Why am I here then? Because you need to. You’re desperate to end your hunger. You don’t see yourself as a predator, you don’t think you could ever do what they do, you probably think it’s immoral too, but soon you’ll understand why they do it.” B put their hand on A’s shoulder, “they do it because it works.” B stepped away again, gesturing with their hands to emphasise the next words “you want to stop being hungry then eat. It’s that simple.”
“But what about you?” A asked quietly
B laughed, “you’ll be a terrible pred, asking questions like that.”
“Yeah, sure - that’s the point.”
“You’ll see, predators - you always change your tune after you eat, once you realise it’s what you’re meant to do.
A shook their head, “Not me”
B rolled their eyes. Everyone says that
“ you are partially correct; this won’t go well if you resist. If you don’t ‘believe in yourself’ (even if that sounds cheesy), it’s going to be a lot harder for you. It might even turn into a bad experience for you, which is the opposite of what we want. So. I’m going to need you to make a decision.
Right now, you have to say that you are going to eat me, and follow through with it
No backing out. (Unless you actually get nauseous or otherwise can’t digest me - you have to at least give it a solid go).
Give yourself a chance. You’ve come this far, you’re making an effort to solve your problems. Now is the time to actually do the dirty work.
Do we have a deal?”
“Okay, I’ll try,” they muttered, “I don’t really have any other options at this point.”
B clasped their hands together, “that’s the spirit. Okay, this next part is probably the most difficult, but it gets easy once you get the hang of it. You’re just going to put your mouth over me, and do your best to swallow. It might feel a little weird or embarrassing but, well, it’s the only way.”
“Ah, Okay…” A babbled
It took them an uncomfortable amount of time to figure out from which direction they wanted to approach B, and how exactly they wanted to get B past their teeth
An image came up in B’s mind of a lizard they once had who would always miss the bugs they put in the cage. No hunting instincts.
A would have no chance if they actually had do hunt for prey
Just once they thought A had a good grip, they spit B out again
“I don’t think I can do it,” they gasped
B sighed, “I didn’t want this to be my first choice, because I wanted you to learn how to do it on your own, but I think I can help. You won’t have to do much work, but you will have to relax.”
B didn’t know if A knew how to relax. They had been rigid the entire time, it wasn’t doing them any favours.
In all their experience with preds, they had never seen one so incapable as A. B had just been in their mouth, and it hadn’t mattered at all. It was frustrating, but subconsciously it only made B more determined to make A into an active pred
B turned on the radio, maybe background noise would help, and they ushered A over to a wall, that B could use as leverage to push themselves down A’s throat.
The attempt failed. B was wondering if maybe A wasn’t a pred after all.
“How are you feeling right now,” B asked, out of breath
“Bad,” A admitted
You know what would feel good right now, a full stomach
“You have it in you, I’m sure of it,” B said, although they were starting to doubt. “Your body knows what to do, your head is just getting in the way.”
“I think too much, is that it?”
“Kind of, just - ok Okay, we are going to do some exercises to try to get you into the mindset. Focus on the sensations in your body - close your eyes. Try to put a mental spotlight on that area in your middle, where you feel hunger the most. Here - “ B took A’s hand and placed it on their stomach, “allow yourself to feel your hunger, and accept it, don’t try to shy away from the unpleasant sensation. You need to admit it to yourself. Are you hungry?”
A, almost in a trance, nodded, “yes”
“Good, that’s step one. Now. You are hungry, desperately so, you can feel it. It’s strong, it hurts, it makes everything else in your head foggy. But lucky for you, you have food. Me. So”
B sighed, “that’s the next part you have to believe. I am your food,” they gently rubbed A’s stomach, feeling it growl painfully beneath their hand. B liked to see predators when they were hungry, but usually they were more assertive, less pathetic.
“I can be in your stomach in a matter of seconds if you want it, which deep down you do. Bring that part of you up, don’t resist your feelings, your desires, your hunger. Be honest with yourself”
“I’m going to open your mouth now, just let yourself feel good, don’t be ashamed, don’t be worried, you have nothing to worry about…” B slid their hands into A’s throat and pushed off of the wall, they reached as far down as they could until they felt A tensing,
“Relax, relax, relax,” B grumbled irritably, and miraculously their hands slid down even further, they pushed down as far as they could before A could second guess it, and once their head was through, they started to feel the throat constrict, but then ease - A was swallowing them. B felt another tight clench around them like they were suddenly caught in a vice, but then they were the one being pushed further, the squeezing was rapid, desperate, and a less than efficient, but A was gulping them down with all their might. B felt smug about being correct, a switch had been flicked once A had realised how good it felt to have such a big meal move down their throat all at once. B imagined it would be the best thing A had ever experienced. But that was nothing compared to what would happen next
—
A felt heavy, like they had eaten a boulder, and they felt stretched, painfully, they still felt sore, they still felt a bit shit, a bit tired. It wasn’t as rapturous as B and many others had led them on to expect. It was weird, it was definitely odd, but not much else
The swallowing felt good; they did feel something then. A rush, and it did feel good to have such a promise of a meal and the satisfaction it would bring… but it didn’t last long. There was prey in their stomach… and A didn’t like it all that much
“How do you feel?” B asked from their stomach
“I don’t feel much at all,” A said thoughtfully
“That’s what they all say,” B muttered.
A sat down. It was funny, all of this, being a predator, they never thought they would do something like this, and furthermore, A never thought they would become like predators you hear about; hedonistic, driven by instincts, a slave to the monster that was inside them - that kind of stuff didn’t happen for A, but it would be interesting if it did. If their stomach felt so stretched and full, if that could bring them such satisfaction, the idea was a little scary. But surely not… unless
“I - “ A stuttered, “I think I’m starting to feel something,” they said shakily.
“Yeah, your tummy is really having it’s go at me,”
“What do you mean?” A asked, worried
“You’re digesting me, buddy. Wait, you’re starting to feel it, aren’t you?”
“No,” A said, “no no no. oh god no.”
“Hold on, don’t freak out, it’s alright,”
“I’m…” A could feel a hot, almost burning sensation in their stomach, it groaned languidly
“It’s ok, remember what I said about relaxing - okay your heartbeat is going up but that’s normal for digestion, just don’t have a panic attack or anything.” B laughed dryly
A could feel their heart burning, their stomach felt like it was pressing on all of their other organs, depriving them of oxygen
“I, I think I’m dying,” A could hardly recognise their own voice by how it was shaking. They felt their chest actually ache in pain, real pain, clenching, like a heart attack, “I’m… I feel like I’m going to die.”
“Okay,” They felt B realign themselves in their stomach, “Okay, you’re definitely not dying, you can’t die from eating prey, you’re just freaking out because you’re not used to this. Have you had a panic attack before?”
“Panic attack? No,” this wasn’t a panic attack, it was a heart attack, and they were dying, A had never been more sure of anything
“Okay, look it up. You can’t die from it, you’re just getting used to the new sensations. I’ll admit, this isn’t an ideal outcome for your first meal, and I wouldn’t have pushed you if I knew you were this worried about it, but you couldn’t eat me on your own, so I doubt you’ll be able to get me out, so you’ll just have to strap in for the next few hours. How are you doing out there?”
It was hard to believe B since A’s body was saying the opposite. They still felt a huge pain in their chest, and it wasn’t going away. “I’m not doing good,”
“Do you feel pain? Try to redirect that energy to your stomach, your heartbeat, just focus on the heartbeat in your stomach instead, feel the sensations you have here,” B rubbed on the stomach walls, “you don’t feel empty anymore right? Must be a relieving feeling.”
B was right, A focused on the feeling of their stomach, it was good, they were really full, when they actually took a moment to reflect, they realised it. They really had never eaten so much at one time.
A lay down on their side - they let the belly rest on the floor, feeling it gurgling against the carpet. They truly had never felt this was before, it was entirely different to how they expected it. They had eaten a lot before, of course, trying to curtail the hunger, but this sheer amount, it was such a shift in perspective of what they could physically experience. It was something entirely new, they felt like a child again, seeing things for the first time, they didn’t know they could feel this way.
And when their heartbeat slowed and evened out, the sensations changed from anxiety into a deep blanket of pleasure that radiated from their core. They felt satiated, but even that word didn’t do justice.
I know now, A thought, I know what they mean now
I get it
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Can you have Mireille, Juleka, and Rochelle singing Birds of Prey?
Juleka: Good evening all you gentlemen, mobsters, creeps and crooks.
Rochelle: Folks in tights come after you, and still, you’re off the hook.
Mireille: For those who scare and terrorize, a new generation’s here today!
Juleka/Rochelle/Mireille: You scum can simply call us, the one and only Birds of Prey!
Juleka: Tomassian has his special ring!
Rochelle/Mireille: Pretty strong that glowing thing!
Black Canary: Reshma’s deeds are really swell!
Rochelle/Juleka: But who will bring her out of her shell?
Juleka: Simon’s foes, they finish last!
Rochelle: Compared to Flash, well, our guy’s fast!
Juleka/Mireille/Rochelle: While all our folks can always save the day
They can’t do it better than the Birds of Prey! (The one and only Birds of Prey!)
While the past gen can always save the day,
They can’t do it better, never do it better than the Birds of Prey!
Juleka: Gia has heroic traits! Unlike her shooting, she ain’t straight
Mireille: What?
Juleka: I’m just saying...
Mireille: Aurore, that girl’s always courageous!
Rochelle: Her fish all make the girls say “Gracious!”
Mireille: DJ sure can expand!
Juleka/Mireille/Rochelle: Will turn you to putty in his hands! While the ones before can keep you punks at bay,
No one does it better than the Birds of Prey (The one and only Birds of Prey)
While all our folks can always save the day,
They can’t do it better, sure can’t do it better than the Birds of Prey!
Juleka: Zoé’s throwing her Birdarang, what a weapon, what a bang...
Mireille: Check out that utility belt, sure can make a girl’s heart melt...
Rochelle: They’re always right there for the save! God, they’re just so bold and brave...
Juleka/Mireille/Rochelle: While her dad did things in his special way!
It sure would be better with the Birds of Prey! (The one and only Birds of Prey!)
While Batman always seems to save the day,
He can’t does it better, they can’t do it better than the Birds of Prey!
Birds of Prey...
Juleka: Meow...
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You said you're excited to spend more time on Sur'Kesh in Empire of Preys, and I'm excited for that too! We only got to spend like a minute on Sur'Kesh in canon, and I've always wished that we'd gotten to see more of that world. What do you imagine salarian architecture and design sensibilities as being like? I won't ask you to spoil the story, but I'm curious about any worldbuilding you've done along those lines that you'd like to share!
HELLO!!
Sorry for taking so long to reply to this wonderful ask! I kind of pondered a lot on what to talk about and how much I should talk about; but since you focused on architecture, I think I'll focus on that!
So, in The Empire of Preys, we spend most of our time (barred from one scene that takes place in a more remote city) in the country of Nkoma. What we call country and what salarians call country differs slightly, however: think of it more as an administrative district that exists more for the sake of resource repartition and ease of organization at a medium scale rather than a place, or an identity with strong cultural attachments that would involve nationalism or things like this --this would be much more true for cities (a practice encouraged and mirror by asaris) and clans in general.
There are two main focuses in Nkoma.
The first one is the city of Talat, considered a hotspot of diplomacy (where the administrative body called the Grand Symposium has its seat --basically where the Salarian Union is being ruled), business and tourism that spreads from the remnants of an old volcano all the way to the seaside coast. Its main landmark is a huge water dam used to control the level of the internal lake, assist with irrigation of the agricultural activity spreading around the city, and also partially turned into a luxury hotel. It's also the city that looks the most like the Citadel, Thessia, Armali, and every huge metropolis in the galaxy: it has tons of immigration and is the most overtly capitalist, with the least amount of relics from their past that isn't directly turned into museums.
The second is the city of Leyjung, which is Nkoma's second biggest city (and the biggest focus of the two within the narrative). It is much deeper inlands, deep within the rainforest --it's actually pretty close to the STG quarters that we see ingame (and MAYBE, maybe, we could see it in TEoP as well....)
It's a very old city with tons of history: it is roughly divided between the old town (tucked inside a valley following a large river) and the newer town that looms over it from the cliffsides. Both towns are riddled with technology; it's just that the old town still preserves a lot of its ocher-based and troglodyte buildings that allows for natural temperature regulation on top of being monuments to the city's past as a huge capital of the (since defunct) phassen empires.
The traditional structure of the salarian clan does not account for individuality. Therefore, the oldest kind of salarian building is the House: a very long building built over generations that try to account for the needs of the clan, a place where every salarian with a clan is always welcomed (but they have, for example, no concept of individual bedrooms; though people with importance within the clan have individual offices). The whole clan very rarely live together all at once; they generally have small individual open rooms that will sustain a dozen of salarians at a time (for example a ton of small kitchens rather than one big room where everybody eats all at once, and no real concept for group meals except for big celebrations). They also include walk-in showers everywhere; the goal is just to let water splash over you for a few seconds to cool off, and you're not even expected to remove your clothes while doing so (they also have communal pools for longer soaks, where public nudity is 100% fine).
Leyjung still has a large number of old clan Houses that have not been repurposed into commercial hubs or broken into smaller apartments like in Talat; most notably, the biggest Linron House is still in use while being considered a remarkable historical artefact as the history of that clan and that town stretch back for at least a thousand years.
One of the biggest challenges of the architecture of the town is to account for the extreme humidity: the rainforest surrounding and permeating the town is so dense that, twice a day, once at dawn (feshe qer) and then a little after midday (selecat qer), huge clouds of vapor start rising from the surrounding canopy as the air gets more and more suffocating, until it all breaks down into a brief torrential rain that soaks everything back late in the afternoon, and makes the evening and night the most pleasant temperature-wise. It happens... basically every day.
The town's architecture is therefore very concerned with avoiding wind and thunder damage, as well as trying to prevent stagnant water from swamping down the infrastructure. For example, hydrophobic plexiglas is very widely used. A lot of streets meant for pedestrians, especially in the older town, kind of follow this format (sorry for the janky perspectiiiive I'm bad at thiiis)
Using a lot of non-corroding mesh fence and avoiding to put salarians directly on ground, using a lot of triangular structures to let the rainfall glide to canals that are pushed back to the main river, with a ton of plants to absorb the excess humidity as much as possible and provide some relief from the heat.
The main problem that Leyjung face is: when is modernization too much modernization? What is preserving tradition, and what is refusal to change? What's opposition to galactic gentrification, and what is straight-up xenophobia? What's power to the individual VS what is the destruction of the collective?
Let's have Elections about it, maybe!! Surely that will solve everything!!
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